Those government alerts on your phone could get longer

The government alerts that pop up on cellphones during an emergency could get longer and more geographically targeted.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unanimously voted Thursday to seek comment on a proposal that would increase the maximum length of alerts from 90 characters to 360 characters, among other things. For reference, Twitter sets its limit at 140 characters. 

{mosads}FCC members on Thursday invoked the terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 129 people last Friday as a reminder of why the alerts are important. 

“Just last week, we had a cruel reminder that when the unthinkable occurs, our security so often depends on connectivity,” FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel said. 

“All of these are tragically powerful reminders that when faced with a dire emergency, people increasingly turn first to advanced mobile technologies,” said Mignon Clyburn, another FCC commissioner. 

The proposal would allow government agencies to include helpful phone numbers or Web addresses in the alerts. It would also require wireless carriers to target the alerts to narrower geographic regions. Currently, alerts go out to counties affected by an emergency. 

The proposal would also create a new type of action-oriented alert, which could instruct people to boil water or direct people to shelters during severe weather. 

Congress established the Wireless Emergency Alerts program in 2006, allowing certain government agencies to push out notifications about things like severe weather, terrorist threats or Amber Alerts. U.S. alerts have gone off during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and during the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombers in 2013, among numerous other emergencies. 

News reports have bubbled up in past years with anecdotal complaints about the emergency warnings. Customers are automatically opted into the alerts from wireless carriers who choose to participate, but most people can turn them off on their phone. Certain “alerts issued by the president” cannot be turned off, as required by Congress. 

All five members of the commission approved the proposal Thursday. But Republican Commissioner Michael O’Rielly said the system is already working well and there is potential for the FCC to “screw it up.” 

He said increased messages could cause people to ignore them. He also warned about not overburdening wireless carriers, who voluntarily participate in the program.